$201 Find Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica - Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica departing on 9/29. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Cheap Flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San José
San José1 stop$510
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$702
San José
San José1 stop$510
Liberia
Liberia1 stop$702

Book Cheap Des Moines to Costa Rica Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Des Moines to Costa Rica

Wed, Jan 20 - Wed, Jan 27
American Airlines Logo
11:35 am - 11:43 pm
DSM
-
SJO
12h 08m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:38 am - 3:14 pm
SJO
-
DSM
8h 36m
1 stop
$510American Airlines
Mon, Nov 2 - Tue, Feb 2
American Airlines Logo
7:37 pm - 1:46 pm
DSM
-
SJO
18h 09m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:38 am - 5:06 pm
SJO
-
DSM
10h 28m
1 stop
$510American Airlines
Wed, Sep 16 - Mon, Sep 21
United Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 7:37 pm
DSM
-
SJO
12h 37m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 9:28 pm
SJO
-
DSM
12h 33m
2 stops
$596United Airlines
Wed, Sep 16 - Mon, Sep 21
Southwest Logo
7:15 am - 6:45 pm
DSM
-
SJO
12h 30m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
9:00 am - 10:15 pm
SJO
-
DSM
12h 15m
2 stops
$608Southwest
Thu, Sep 10 - Thu, Sep 17
Southwest Logo
7:00 am - 6:45 pm
DSM
-
SJO
12h 45m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
9:00 am - 10:15 pm
SJO
-
DSM
12h 15m
2 stops
$608Southwest
Wed, Sep 16 - Mon, Sep 21
United Airlines Logo
6:15 am - 12:21 pm
DSM
-
SJO
7h 06m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:55 am - 9:28 pm
SJO
-
DSM
12h 33m
2 stops
$623United Airlines
Tue, Dec 8 - Thu, Dec 17
Delta Logo
2:58 pm - 10:15 pm
DSM
-
SJO
7h 17m
1 stop
Delta Logo
7:00 am - 10:34 pm
SJO
-
DSM
15h 34m
1 stop
$623Delta
Wed, Sep 16 - Mon, Sep 21
United Airlines Logo
6:24 am - 7:37 pm
DSM
-
SJO
14h 13m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
1:25 pm - 10:30 pm
SJO
-
DSM
8h 05m
1 stop
$627United Airlines
Fri, Sep 11 - Wed, Sep 16
Delta Logo
5:45 am - 11:54 am
DSM
-
SJO
7h 09m
1 stop
Delta Logo
1:19 pm - 10:26 pm
SJO
-
DSM
8h 07m
1 stop
$648Delta
Tue, Jan 19 - Tue, Jan 26
American Airlines Logo
5:21 am - 2:45 pm
DSM
-
LIR
9h 24m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
3:10 pm - 11:23 pm
LIR
-
DSM
8h 13m
1 stop
$702American Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Des Moines to Costa Rica flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica is January, when tickets cost $631 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $959 and $861 respectively.

Good to know

Low season

October

Cheapest flight

$201
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 14% increase in price.
Flight from Des Moines to San José

FAQs - booking Costa Rica flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly from Des Moines to Costa Rica with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from Des Moines to Costa Rica up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Reviews of the top 3 airlines serving from Des Moines to Costa Rica

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Des Moines to Costa Rica? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.8
DeltaOverall score based on 8482 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Entertainment
8.5Crew
7.2Food
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

My son’s suitcase was left behind at SFO and did not make the flight.

6.0 GoodJorge, Jul 2026
SFO - GDL
Read more Delta reviews

My son’s suitcase was left behind at SFO and did not make the flight.

Seats were not bad enough and uncomfortable good legroom in the emergency exit row we were in, but we were forbidden to hold my grandson on my lap for a little while, and the stewardess passed us saying it was against regulations which makes little or no sense when you’re 36,000 feet. The food snacks were really bad. Tasteless tasted like wallpaper, but we’re supposed to be protein bars, and the announcements were all completely incoherent because of the noise of the airplane and the lowness and crackly nature of the PA system.. this was disgraceful. No one in our party could understand a word of what the captain or the flight attendant were saying —not a word! The landing was a little hairy in a pretty stiff crosswind -we bounced before the plane stabilized on the runway

Chaotic boarding at these gates, multiple gates squeezed in at the very end of a concourse, behind a restaurant. Agents gave up on boarding by individual zones. Flight itself was uneventful, which is all we hope for any more.

Unprepared to rebook a flight of people. Uncommunicative. When I received updates in the app it was well after the announcement in the hold room. Offered a single $12 meal voucher, not enough for a sandwich at DEN, for a 17 hour delay. No one was able to explain their meal or hotel reimbursement policy for this cancellation, just handed a card to call the Help desk. My previous flight went through several delays and was finally cancelled, without explanation. The customer help desk closed while there was a long line. I then waited in line for a gate agent almost an hour while simultaneously on hold and trying to text with a remote Delta agent. Communicating with the text agent was almost impossible; they could not find any flights that got me back to my original city before the following evening. Kept offering itineraries that did not get me back to my origin airport or involved additional layovers. In 50 minutes on hold, never got through to an agent by phone. Finally spoke to one of the gate agents who was able to rebook on a red eye that had only one stop and got me back in the afternoon the next day, rather than late evening. Later by email, Delta offered 10,000 loyalty points for the inconvenience of the cancellation. The crew on the red eye flight were delightful. I don’t remember any food or entertainment on that flight.

Flight team was great and we even arrived ahead of plan!

It was good delayed again but once on board the flight crew were very good the entertainment and wifi worked on this plane and we were offered snacks and drinks

I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with the poor service and unprofessional staff we encountered when traveling with an infant. Our flight was delayed, and the gate staff failed to manage the boarding process appropriately. Due to incorrect, unavailable, or missing 'pink tag' stroller and car seat check-in procedures at the gate, we were forced to board last. Furthermore, the gate staff was rude and dismissive, causing significant distress to our infant. To make matters worse, one of our checked items—an infant sleeper/lounger—was returned to us broken. Given the unsafe handling of essential equipment and unprofessional treatment, I expect a prompt resolution regarding compensation for the damaged items.

Easiest airport experience ever in my life at MSP with Delta check-in and flight attendant gave us a bottle of champagne in celebration of our 10-year wedding anniversary, so overall amazing!

Great. Seamless. Check in agent at kiosk international was amazing and extremely helpful.

Delta planes have the WORST seat comfort of any plane in history. It's the opposite of ergonomic, in every sense. They also recline minimally, are covered in a vinyl and have no feet rests. Then the disembarking process is chaotic and time consuming (because of the way they load the plane and deal with luggage). Overall, somewhat frustrating but we arrived safely :)

Wonderful flight! The crew was good, check-in was good and orderly and the flight was uneventful and good.

Gluten free snack options and meals that offer both gluten free and dairy free.

The pilot was late so we didn’t take off til almost 2 hours late.

1 flight cancelled Had to fly out of different city Flight at new departure city was delayed 3 hours causing us to miss connecting flights. By the time we did make it to Prague our luggage did not. Had to wait day and a half for luggage to be delivered. Customer service was not good. Agents did not arrive at gate until 5-10 minutes before boarding

It was better than excellent. The staff in Mason City were great. The young woman that pushed my wheelchair did more than could be expected of her. She came from India 17 years ago. I don't remember her name.

My experience on this United Airlines flight was highly uncomfortable, primarily due to two issues: Cabin Temperature: The temperature on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was unacceptably high, feeling consistently around 80 degrees throughout the flight. This made sleeping impossible and significantly detracted from the experience. Seating Arrangement: Being stuck in a middle seat for a six-and-a-half-hour overnight flight compounded the discomfort. Moving forward, I will always purchase a seat assignment to avoid this situation.

Very rough getting into denver. my kid threw up it was so rough.

Liked that we left on time for each flight. Snacks not the best, but we're okay.

I had very little time to change planes originally in Denver after my flight from Omaha. I had an hour and a half layover in Denver originally and my flight leaving Omaha was delayed an hour because they had to change a tire, which I can understand. When I reached Denver my other flight was late, fortunately, but I still had only 10 minutes to run about a mile through the airport to get to my flight. Again, fortunately, I am a healthy 71-year-old and was able to accomplish this feat. However, the stress was more than necessary to bear.

I had requested wheelchair assistance prior to flight. The airport staff had no record of it. It was not provided at Cedar Rapids which was a small airport, so I managed on my own. At O'Hare airport the same thing happened. The staff told me they had no record of my request for a wheel chair. But they finally provided it after a delay when I insisted that I needed it.

Patrons with larger bags were asked to check the bags when boarding. Seems like the most effective, and least costly way, way to successfully use the cramped space.

Like all planes recently, entertainment is achieved by giving the patron free WiFi and letting them stream shows via the screen on a phone or tablet.

The plane was experiencing problems with the HVAC system, it was very cold in the front of the plane and very hot in the back.

The boarding process needs to be fixed. The zone don't work, especially when there is hardly anyone in zones 3, 4,and 5, leaving the majority of the passengers backed up in the aisle, especially because passengers seated near the front are blocking passengers who are seated in the rear of the plane. It would also help if the size of carry on bags was more strictly enforced.

In flight connectivity (via T-Mobile) was often not working.

Terrible. Internet/kiosk glitch prevented baggage checkin. Line at ticket co in Ter was under serviced and did not move. Agents did not call for flight but rather allowed time to pass. Then told each person as they reached the front if line that it was too late to check bags so they’d have to rebook flights. At least 15 people missed the flight as a result of this incompetence.

It was exactly what I expected, actually arriving sooner than scheduled.

Terrible, they canceled my flight due to an issue they had, couldn't fly me into the same place within 24 hrs so had to fly in 2.5 hrs away from my destination and spend even more money. The customer service was terrible (except at the airport in Charleston). Had to call to get my checked baggage fees reimbursed 2 wks later in which one customer service agent was very rude, wouldn't listen and then hung up on me. The second lady I spoke with was actually able to help me with that part thankfully. Would not recommend flying AA.

Delayed, missed connecting flight, ground crew double charged for international charges, were super rude and told me to just”deal with it” when I complained. Horrible airline, very frustrating.

A much better flight than our previous. The flight attendant took care of us and regularly checked in to see if we needed anything. Brought us drinks prior to the departure and then a couple more times. Totally makes the difference in how you travel when the crew is checking on their passengers. Great job on this leg of our trip.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Des Moines to Costa Rica

Information on your arrival and departure airports